Due to current COVID restrictions my tutorials will be focusing on solo practice for the next week or two. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn new things. Today I’m going over the bolt.

The bolt is descended from the “fleche”, a running attack used in traditional fencing. Used well, it can be extremely fast and, most importantly, can reach an opponent from a great distance.

Unlike a powered lunge, which propels the body off one foot, the bolt powers off both legs sequentially, generating a lot of power and momentum.

When teaching the bolt, I generally break it up into 3-5 instructional pieces. From a standard stance:

1. Pivot the back foot so the back toes point forward (square stance).

2. Push off the back foot and lean all the way forward, so that all the weight is on the front foot.

3. Push off the front foot while taking a long leap with the back leg.

4. Swing and hit the target before the back foot lands (in front).

5. Veer off to the side so you don’t run into your opponent. Bleed off your momentum.

There’s quite a few moving parts to this one, so take it slow and gradually pick up speed. One key thing to remember is to learn forward. This will make it feel a lot more natural. If you have a target, make sure the target is farther away than your standard lunge distance, otherwise the move is superfluous and it won’t make sense.

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